Do You Need to Brush Your Tongue Each Day?
The tongue is essential in both speech production and the digestion of food. When food moves through the mouth, some remains stick on to the tongue. As you brush your teeth, you should always brush your tongue each day You can use your regular toothbrush to clean your tongue effectively. However, certain items are specially designed for tongue cleaning, such as tongue scrapers.
Why You Should Brush Your Tongue
It is of no use to brush your teeth without brushing the tongue as it can also incubate the same bacteria that cause gum diseases and tooth decay. Studies show that there are over 700 species of good and bad bacteria residing in our mouths. We should, therefore, clean every corner of the mouth to eliminate harmful bacteria. Brushing the tongue helps get rid of streptococci bacteria, commonly known to cause these problems. The bacteria breeding on the tongue can quickly move to the clean teeth and gums, resulting in infections.
A dirty tongue leads to bad breath, or halitosis. Food remains and bacteria formed on the tongue emits a bad smell, which can negatively impact the individual’s ability to communicate and associate with others.
Brushing the tongue will also prevent the tongue from staining; without brushing the tongue properly, a black hair-like substance forms, changing its appearance. The coloration can result from drinking colored beverages such as coffee and juice.
The use of mouthwash alone will not help in removing the sticky substance. Dirt on the tongue can only come off through effective brushing, and using circular and back and forth motion with your toothbrush effectively gets rid of the dirt and germs.
Brushing the tongue helps avoid the development of oral thrush and yeast infection. The infection results from the multiplication of germs on the tongue over prolonged periods and requires medication to cure.
Failure to brush your tongue can affect your sense of taste. The formation of excessive plaque on the tongue, also known as biofilm, covers the taste buds, altering food and drinks’ taste.
Reach Out to Us to Find Out More
Dental problems affect every aspect of our lives as they hinder our ability to eat and associate with others. If you are experiencing dental issues, you will need to find a lasting solution from a qualified specialist. You can request an appointment here or reach us at 479.646.0706. Check us out on Facebook for more RVSC news!
